Games out this week: Vita, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Syndicate

It's finally here. PlayStation Vita sees its European and North American launch this Wednesday along with over 20 titles. For those not picking up Sony's latest handheld, there's a standalone Alan Wake release on Xbox Live, the return of Syndicate and a Wii exclusive from the creator of Final Fantasy.

PlayStation Vita

Release date: February 22 (Europe, US)

With a launch lineup consisting of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, WipEout 2048 and FIFA Football, the PlayStation Vita is a very attractive prospect indeed. Featuring motion functionality, a 5" OLED touchscreen, innovative back touch, quad-core processor, optional 3G support and two cameras, the PS Vita is one serious piece of hardware. You can view images of Vita's complete launch line-up at the end of this article.

This is a downloadable, standalone continuation of Xbox 360 and PC horror-adventure Alan Wake. Seeing Wake face up against adversary Mr. Scatch in a dedicated campaign, it also features a Horde-like mode where players defeat waves of enemies with all new weapons, and complete with friends through leaderboards.

Originally an isometric real-time tactical game set in a cyberpunk future, Syndicate returns 18 years later as a first-person shooter. Facing the tricky task of appeasing fans and enticing newcomers, Starbreeze Studios has included a separate co-op mode choc-full of levels from the 1993 original.

The Last Story

Release date: February 24 (Europe)Platforms: Wii

The Last Story is Mistwalker and Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi's latest role-playing release. The Wii exclusive - which is skipping North America - teases a revolutionary battle system where party members can 'gather' and attract the attention of their foes, while up to six players can play co-operatively online.